Ansco Vest Pocket N° 2

Photos by Jean-François Weber text by Jean-François Weber. From the collection of Jean-François Weber. Last update 2023-10-29 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in USA from 1915 to 1928.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 14049

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Ansco

The Ansco Vest Pocket (VP) is a series of folding cameras, where the flat front part is connected to the camera body by four tensioned arms. Even when the camera is in motion, this front part remains parallel to the film plane. The picture can only be taken when the arms are fully extended and locked. Once folded, the front part protects the bellows. Sometimes, the lens is protected by a cap attached to the front part with a hinge (Model No. 2), giving Ansco Vest Pocket cameras a distinctive silhouette. In this case, the cap is metallic, like the rest of the camera. Occasionally, there is an exposure table on its inner surface.
Another recurring feature of Ansco Vest Pocket cameras is their curved stand. They typically have two viewfinders to enable both vertical and horizontal shooting. The covering can be made of leather or imitation leather.

There are numerous lens combinations available, especially since models sold in France sometimes featured a locally-mounted lens. The shutter is a Wollensak. The early Bionic shutter was gradually replaced by an Actus shutter.

Ansco Number 0 is a 4.5 x 6 cm camera with fixed focus. Number 0 bis has the same format but with adjustable focus. Number 1 is a 6 x 9 cm camera using 120 film, and it has fixed focus. Number 2 is a 6 x 9 cm camera using 120 film, and it features a micrometric focusing adjustment. An Omnium Photo catalog from 1923 mentions a Vest Pocket Junior No. 1, but it's actually referring to the Vest Pocket No. 1.

Combinations available in France, based on the catalogs (non-exhaustive):

	N° 0	N° 0 ^bis	N° 1	N° 2

Rectiligne	1919-24		1919-21	1920-21
Achromatique	1919-22		1919-21	1920-21
Ansco Anastigmat 7.5		1921
Modico 7.5				1917-19
Photo-Plait 6.8	1920		1919	1917-19
Berthiot Olor 6.8	1919-24	1922-23	1923	1917-23
Ansco Anastigmat 6.3	1919			1920-22
Photo-Plait 6.3	1919-24		1919-21	1921-28
Roussel Stylor 6.3	1919-24	1922-23	1919-23	1920-27
Novac 6.3		1923	1921-23	1921-23
Dallmeyer Perfac 6.3				1915
Duplouich Verax 6.3	1921
Krauss Tessar 6.3				1921-23
Hermagis 6.3				1924
Splendor 6.2	1922-24			1922-27
Berthiot Olor 6				1920-28
Krauss Tessar 5	1921-24
Boyer Saphir 5		1922		1922

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This model is the most comprehensive in the series of Ansco Vest Pocket No. 2.

It features a carrying handle, a socket for a cable release, and a depth of field table located inside the cover that protects the lens. However, the lever attached to the rewind key, which assisted in releasing the film spool from the chamber, has been removed.

The design of the vertical stand has been revised and now consists of two articulated parts.

The instruction manual recommends using Ansco Speedex 4A film, which allows for six exposures in the 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches format.

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